


so i lay there and wait for the sun

by nevershootamockingbird



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Established Relationship, Families of Choice, Friendship, Future Fic, Hand Jobs, M/M, No Spoilers, Reunion Sex, Reunions, i have written yet another fic where they retire to the seaside
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-13
Updated: 2019-04-13
Packaged: 2020-01-12 14:47:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18448769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nevershootamockingbird/pseuds/nevershootamockingbird
Summary: “Thank you.” The words are soft, pleased, and Caleb can’t resist leaning up to brush a soft kiss to the corner of the half-orc’s mouth. Fjord turns just enough for a proper kiss, mostly chaste, that leaves them both smiling too hard to continue.This is all the happiness he never thought he would find, and Caleb has to marvel at that, that this is his, that he is allowed this.That, perhaps, he is allowed more.





	so i lay there and wait for the sun

**Author's Note:**

> Caleb and Fjord reunite, reminisce, and speak on the future. The rest of the family is there, too. 
> 
> No spoilers! This is not an episode-related fic, it's set in the future where (surprise) they have retired by the sea. 
> 
> As much as things change, they still stay the same. Hope you enjoy!

He wakes to someone rummaging around in his kitchen.

It is just past seven, and Frumpkin is still curled up under his chin, purring loudly. Caleb thinks about rolling over and staying in bed, but there’s whistling coming from downstairs and the purrs aren’t deep enough to lull him back to sleep. He sighs, stroking a hand along his familiar’s side as he murmurs, “Why don’t you go greet our friend, ja?”

Frumpkin chirps, tail flicking up against Caleb’s wrist before the fey cat stretches and gracefully leaps off the bed, silently nudging the door open before slipping through the crack and disappearing. Caleb rolls over with a sigh, pressing his face into the cold pillow next to him and inhaling deeply, ignoring the gentle ache in his chest.

Gods, but does he hate sleeping alone.

He allows himself a moment, just one, to sink further into the nearly faded, familiar scent before he forces himself out of bed, wincing as his left knee creaks uncomfortably before finally clicking. A gaunt face peers back at him from the bathroom mirror, beard shaggy and hair unkempt, and Caleb sighs, glances down at the straight razor before deciding it’s too early for such coordination.

“Morning. You look like shit,” Beau greets him when he finally makes it downstairs, freshly bathed but in a shirt much too large for him and a pair of pants worn soft and thin. Caleb scowls at her, tying his hair back loosely as he watches her take a slow sip of tea, her free hand buried in Frumpkin’s fur.

“I don’t recall giving you a key to the house so you could come in at all hours and insult me,” he says mildly, sinking into the chair adjacent to hers at the kitchen table. A mug is already waiting for him, steam rising from it slowly; he curls both hands around the warm ceramic, looking out the window at the clear blue sky.

Beau snorts, setting her mug down a little carelessly, and Caleb glances over to see her giving him a shit-eating grin. “Nah, you gave me that key because you love me, admit it, Widogast.”

“Is that why?” Is all he says, laughing quietly when she scoffs and flips him off. His tea is brewed perfectly when he takes a sip, and Caleb knocks his knee against Beau’s, leaves it pressed there when she ducks her head to hide a smile.

They settle into an easy silence, only the sounds of the Frumpkin’s purring and the occasional shriek of a gull through the window interrupting the peace of the morning.

“Couldn’t sleep?” He finally asks, when his mug is empty and Beau’s head bobs for the third time in as many minutes, her blinks slow and drowsy. She starts a little in the chair, knee knocking painfully against his, and Frumpkin hisses his displeasure, butting his head firmly against her stomach before relaxing again. Caleb doesn’t bother muffling his snort of laughter, smirking when Beau sends a glare his way.

“Fuck you,” she grouses, sinking both hands into Frumpkin’s fur and glancing back down at him, scratching gently until the fey cat begins to purr again. Caleb waits patiently until she looks back up, giving her a knowing smile when she sighs and rolls her eyes. “No, I couldn’t sleep, alright? I kept waiting for it to be morning so she’d be back.”

“Ja, I know.” He reaches out to squeeze her closest shoulder gently before slowly standing, hand falling to his side. “Let’s go wait on the porch, hm?”

Beau follows him out, Frumpkin held to her chest, and they settle together on the porch swing, creaking gently under their weight. Caleb looks out across the little yard, the worn path that leads to the simple road; past that, where dirt blends into sand, down towards the ocean, the tide slowly creeping in. There’s a gentle pressure against his shoulder after a few moments, and Caleb smiles to himself, tipping his head to the side to rest his cheek against Beau’s hair.

He thinks he could pass the morning like this quite pleasantly, just watching the waves roll in, ones of his best friends at his side, the knowledge that most of their friends are safe and sound in their homes nearby.

Gods, does he miss his husband, though.

“Hey!” Beau shoots up to her feet after almost a half hour, startling Caleb out of his near meditative state and dumping Frumpkin unceremoniously onto the worn wood of the porch. His familiar lets out a yowl, swiping at her ankle before stalking away, but Beau pays him no mind, smacking Caleb blindly on the shoulder as she stares up the road towards town. Her voice is so full of hope. “Hey, look! Is- is that--”

“Yes,” Caleb breathes out, love swelling in his chest like a balloon as he catches sight of a familiar green figure on the cart that has just rounded the bend, and Beau lets out a whoop, tearing down the stairs and up the road like a hellhound is at her heels. Caleb laughs delightedly, standing and following at a slower pace, his strength still not fully what it was.

He hears a delighted shriek as the blue tiefling in the cart next to Fjord suddenly stands, waving her arms wildly as she watches her wife racing towards them; Fjord is quick to pull her back down, but Caleb watches his shoulders shake in a familiarly amused gesture. He watches as Fjord pulls the horses to a stop in front of Caduceus’s house, just in time for Jester to jump down and run the last few feet to meet Beau, sweeping her up into her arms and spinning her around.

He smiles widely at the happy reunion, but then his attention is caught by a shaky sigh, Fjord staring at him with slightly damp eyes as he takes more care getting off the cart. Caleb cannot help but run to him then, and Fjord lets out a wet laugh, catching the human against his chest in a tight hug; Caleb fists his hands in his husband’s shirt, pressing his face to the sun-warm fabric over Fjord’s heart.

“Ain’t you a sight for sore eyes?” Fjord rumbles, his voice catching just a little, and Caleb laughs, looking up to catch the half-orc’s gaze. His wide smile splits his face, more beautiful than any sunrise, and Caleb has to push up onto his toes, reaching a hand up to curl around the back of Fjord’s neck, drawing him down for a soft, easy kiss.

“I missed you,” he murmurs as he drops back down, gratified in the way Fjord leans down after him, sneaking another brief kiss before straightening up.

“Missed you too, Cay.” He steps back, then, ignoring Caleb’s sound of protest as he holds him at arm’s length, looking him over with a critical eye. “How’re you feelin’? You look too skinny, I know you weren’t this thin when I left.”

“I’m fine, schatz, promise.” He tries to move forward, but Fjord keeps him at bay with a frown, glancing over towards Jester and Beau. His large palms are gentle as he holds Caleb’s shoulders, claws catching on the fabric of his own shirt, thumbs rubbing absent circles, and Caleb revels in the touch.

“Hey, Jessie! Put my first mate down, will you?” Fjord calls over, and Caleb laughs as he watches Jester comply, pressing three more kisses to her wife’s mouth before finally pulling away just enough for Beau to blink dazedly over at them, smiling broadly. “How’s he been doing, Beau? Honestly?”

“I’m right here,” Caleb protests, but it’s half-hearted at best, and he feels a little smug when it just gets Fjord rubbing an absent hand up over the back of his neck in a familiar placating gesture.

“He’s doing better. Fever gone completely almost three weeks ago, stopped coughing after two weeks, finally started eating again last week.” Beau rattles off the facts like she’s been rehearsing it, one of her arms wrapped firmly around Jester’s shoulder, and Caleb has to smile, realizing that she probably has been. “Caduceus has been taking care of him, we all have, don’t worry.”

“Good.” Fjord softens, draws Caleb back in against him, and the human melts into the embrace, winding his arms as far around the other man as he can. Fjord kneads gently at his neck, and Caleb hums contentedly, eyes fluttering shut as tension slips away from his muscles.

“I bet I know what will help you feel even better, Caleb!” Jester exclaims, suddenly much closer, and Caleb laughs, squinting his eyes open to watch her pull Beau around the horses towards them.

“And what is that, oh great cleric?” He asks, gently teasing, and it is worth it for the way she preens before laughing, her tail reaching out to flick at one of his ankles once she’s close enough.

“Family beach day, cleric’s orders,” she declares, free hand settling on her hip, and Beau laughs behind her, nodding in agreement.

“I suppose I can’t argue with that,” Caleb muses, glancing back up at his husband, and it still takes his breath away to find Fjord already looking at him, soft adoration spelled plainly across his face. “Schatz?”

“Beach day sounds just dandy to me,” the half-orc agrees, smiling warmly and leaning down to brush a kiss to Caleb’s forehead. “Let’s get started.”

* * *

“We’re gonna be late,” Fjord gasps, but Caleb just hums, pressing another biting kiss to his husband’s exposed collarbone as the half-orc finishes dropping his shirt to the floor. He presses his hands to the soft skin Fjord’s waist, greedy for touch after going so long without, and sucks a mark where he has been kissing. His husband groans, one hand reaching down to start rucking up the shirt Caleb is still wearing, the other sliding into his hair, thick claws deftly undoing the leather ribbon holding his hair back. “Gods above, _Caleb_.”

“They can wait,” he murmurs as he finally stops, possessive glee sliding through him at the dark mark now visible on his husband. He lets Fjord manhandle him out of the shirt, then Fjord is ducking down, hands cradling his cheeks as he kisses him slow and wet, desire pulsing hot in Caleb’s gut. He grabs his husband by the belt when they finally part, chests heaving for breath, and tugs him back towards their bed, fingers trembling as he works to undo the buckle. “They can wait-- a _month_ , Fjord, you were gone-- never again, ja?”

“I swear, sweetheart, never again,” Fjord agrees, rushed, and their hands tangle together as he reaches down, working to get his pants undone before tugging at Caleb’s laces. “Gods, I fuckin’ missed you.”

The back of his legs hit the bed, and then Fjord tumbles them down onto it, careful not to pin Caleb entirely. The human squirms, moaning as Fjord ducks down to press a series of wet kisses down his neck, and it’s so wonderful to be able to slide his hands over that thick, scarred back again, dragging his blunt nails just so to elicit a shudder from the half-orc above him. “I missed you, too.”

“Yeah, I can tell,” Fjord murmurs, shifting his weight to one thick arm; the other hand slides down between them, palming Caleb’s hard cock, and Caleb groans at the sensation, rocking up against him. “Fuck, sweetheart. Hang on, let me just--”

“Yes, come on,” Caleb pants out, squirming and reaching down to help shove their pants down, until Fjord takes both their cocks in hand. He chokes on a gasp, slamming his head back against the pillow and clutching at the other man’s shoulder and hip, rocking up into his grip. “Fjord, bitte, bitte.”

“I got you,” Fjord rumbles down at him, moaning low as he pumps his hand slowly. His cock is wet already, precome leaking steadily, and it makes everything slick, makes Caleb whine and arch up, fingers kneading and tightening against his husband. “Caleb, fuck, sweetheart.”

Caleb can only moan in response as Fjord keeps stroking them together, his grip loose and sure. He tilts his head up, catching his husband’s mouth in a heated kiss, licking over his tusks until Fjord opens to him with a low whine. His grip tightens, and Caleb groans, digging his nails into the half-orc’s skin as he continues to jerk them off slowly. He lets his head fall back again, nipping at Fjord’s full lower lip before catching his gaze again, eyes half-lidded and pupils blown so wide Caleb can hardly see any of his familiar warm amber of his irises. Fjord twists his wrist just on the next stroke, and Caleb cries out, eyes fluttering as he feels his orgasm begin to build quickly. “Fjord, I’m not-- it’s been so long, liebling, I’m not, ah, fuck, going to last long.”

“Me neither,” his husband gasps out above him, jacking them off faster, and Caleb can only hold on to the other man, swearing and moaning as the pleasure continues to build, his balls drawing up tight as he nears completion. Fjord mouths at his neck, sloppy and uncoordinated, and Caleb slides a hand up from his shoulder to the back of his head, holding his husband there.

“That’s good, oh, Fjord, so good, please.” He’s so close now, and from the way Fjord whines, the way he pants open-mouthed against his skin, tusks pressing gentle bruises into the soft skin of his throat, Caleb knows the half-orc is, too. A few more erratic strokes, and Caleb cries out as he spills between them, squeezing his eyes shut. He hears Fjord swearing breathlessly, feels his grip loosen and slow, and then a low growl rumbles through his chest as his orgasm hits, come streaking over Caleb’s skin.

Fjord jerks them through their orgams, hand only stilling once Caleb hisses quietly in discomfort. He rolls to the side, then, leaving them both to pant up at the ceiling as they slowly relax and come down; a few muttered words and a flick of Caleb’s hand, and they are clean again, still half-undressed, and as the moment sinks in he begins to giggle breathlessly. Fjord looks over at him curiously, rubbing knuckles over his chest, and Caleb grins at him, eyes crinkling with mirth.

“Welcome home,” he manages to gasp out, and then they’re both laughing, curling towards each other like parentheses, hands clasping and legs tangling, and gods, he has missed this.

“We’re gonna be late,” Fjord murmurs after a long few moments, when their laughter has run out and Caleb has begun tracing along the tattoos on his husband’s chest. He hums quietly in acknowledgement, making no move to get up, and the half-orc leans in to press a smiling kiss to his forehead. “Okay. Let’s be late.”

* * *

Caleb turns a page of his latest book from Jester, pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and murmurs quietly, “I’m not going to disappear, you know.”

“Huh?” Fjord starts a little next to him, and Caleb laughs softly, setting the book on his chest and twisting his head to press a kiss to the hip closest to him. His skin tastes of the sea, and when he glances up Caleb sees that Fjord’s hair is curling damply against his forehead, body still covered in droplets of water where he'd missed them with his towel before joining Caleb under their umbrella.

It is a very handsome look on him, but Caleb will save that thought for later.

“I’m not going to disappear,” he repeats, relaxing again and settling a hand on Fjord’s knee, squeezing gently. He shifts around for a moment, until he is no longer laying directly over a rock, before continuing, “I’m fine, schatz. You do not need to keep staring like I won’t be here if you blink too long.”

“Sorry.” Fjord has the decency to sound a little chagrined, but the silence that follows is loaded, thick with words unspoken. Caleb doesn’t rush him, doesn’t pick his book back up, just rubs gentle circles against the side of his knee as he waits for his husband to organize his thoughts. His patience is rewarded when Fjord clears his throat, glancing back out to their friends still in the ocean as he murmurs, “You just, you were so sick when I left, Cay. I worried a lot, when we were gone. And I know Jester checked in every day, but, well.”

“But it wasn’t the same,” Caleb finishes gently, when it becomes clear that Fjord will not, cannot. He squeezes the knee under his hand again, looking up to catch his husband’s gaze. “I’m right here, alive and well, Fjord. Our friends, our family, they took good care of me. I’m okay now.”

Fjord heaves a sigh, nodding and sliding one hand through his hair gently, claws scratching lightly at his scalp. “I know. Just need to keep reminding myself.”

“Okay,” Caleb murmurs, nudging into the hand playing with his hair before settling back against the blanket, picking his book back up. “Keep reminding yourself, dear. Just know that I am not allowed to die or get sick ever again, so I won’t be doing either.”

“That so?” Fjord asks, voice amused, and there’s a slow smile crossing his face when Caleb glances back up at him. He grins in response, nodding once before leafing through the novel for the page he’d left off on.

“Oh, yes, Yasha and Veth have forbidden me,” he replies, voice wry, and his husband laughs, loud and delighted. Warmth blossoms behind his breastbone at the sound, and his smile softens before he continues, “It was very dramatic, really. There was yelling, Molly probably wept, Beau was threatening bodily harm, and Caduceus had to keep Yeza and Luke from, ah, trying to concoct any potions that may or may not have had something poisonous in them? The fever was very strong that day, it’s a little hazy.”

Fjord laughs again, uninhibited and warm, and Caleb feels a curl of satisfaction as he notes the tension easing from the half-orc’s posture. “Well, I’m real glad to hear you’ll be perfectly healthy from here on out.”

There is a lull in the conversation, then, and Caleb uses it to continue reading, enjoying the feeling of his husband’s fingers sliding through his hair again and again, the sun warming them even in the shade. There is a pensive line in the furrow of Fjord’s brow, a slant to his mouth that means he is working up to saying something else, but Caleb does not push.

He has learned when to give space and when to gently disrupt it; he knows that now is a time for the former.

Nearly twenty minutes pass in relative peace, only interrupted by the sounds of their friends laughing and talking down in the water, the occasional call of a seabird high above, before Fjord finally lets out a heavy sigh, his hand gently stilling against Caleb’s head. The human sets his book aside, turning his full attention to his husband, confused by the genuine sorrow he sees now seated in Fjord’s gaze.

“I’m sorry I left, Cay,” are not the words he’s expecting to come out of Fjord’s mouth. Caleb frowns, shifting and pushing himself up into a seated position as the half-orc next to him sighs again, dropping his hand to curl around his waist, tugging the human in closer against him. “I shouldn’t have left you here like that.”

“Fjord, no, you have nothing to be sorry for,” he murmurs, pressing a kiss to the soft slope of his husband’s cheek. He catches the mulish expression on his husband’s face and continues on before he can begin to argue, “You don’t, schatz. You had to go. I’m sorry I could not go with you, but it is what it is, ja?”

“I shouldn’t have left, darlin’,” Fjord repeats, and Caleb sighs, smoothing a hand along his chest.

“You didn’t have a choice exactly, if I remember correctly.” His reply has the other man shutting his mouth with a click, uncertainty flickering in his eyes, and Caleb keeps his voice gentle as he says, “Wursh asked for you specifically, Fjord. He needed more help finishing that orphanage than I needed here.”

His husband is quiet for a moment, and Caleb holds his tongue, brushes a kiss to the freckled shoulder available to him while he waits. Fjord exhales slowly through his nose, and Caleb is relieved to see the lines of worry smoothing from his face. “I still feel bad I wasn’t here, but, I believe you may have a point.”

“That’s because you are a smart man, Fjord Widogast.” Caleb smiles against dappled green skin as he speaks, splaying his fingers out over his husband’s heart as he continues, “A very smart man, as well as a good one.”

“Alright, alright, y’don’t need to continue with that,” and Fjord is blushing when he looks up, dark red blooming across his cheeks. Caleb hums noncommittally, biting back another smile as he turns his head to lean his cheek against the other man’s shoulder.

“I’m glad you went,” he says instead, thumb rubbing absent circles against sun-warmed skin. He feels fingers tighten on his waist, and he sighs softly at the feeling, still eager to soak in all the contact he has missed. “Jester showed me her drawings of the finished building. It looks lovely, you did a wonderful job.”

“It was mostly Wursh, I just helped where he asked,” Fjord demurs, but Caleb can hear the note of pride in his voice and latches onto that,

“Nein, liebling, you did good. I’m sure your help was greatly needed and appreciated,” he insists, lifting his head once more to look at his husband, and the smile that blooms across his face is so beautiful that he can’t breathe for a second.

“Thank you.” The words are soft, pleased, and Caleb can’t resist leaning up to brush a soft kiss to the corner of the half-orc’s mouth. Fjord turns just enough for a proper kiss, mostly chaste, that leaves them both smiling too hard to continue.

This is all the happiness he never thought he would find, and Caleb has to marvel at that, that this is his, that he is allowed this.

That, perhaps, he is allowed more.

He takes a deep breath, keeping his voice carefully neutral as he says, “Our blue friend told me about the children, as well. They enjoyed having you around, it sounded like.”

“Yeah, there were some real great ones up there,” and yes, there, the wistfulness that creeps into Fjord’s voice is unmistakable. Caleb swallows hard, preparing his next words carefully.

“Maybe next time you go, I will visit with you, ja?” He asks gently, and Fjord’s gaze sharpens in an instant, but Caleb does not waver, keeps their eyes locked as his husband processes what he means.

“Yeah?” And there are dozens of questions wrapped up in that one word, hope spilling plainly over Fjord’s face. A dozen questions, but only one answer, and there is hope in his own veins as he nods in reply.

“Ja,” Caleb murmurs, sealing the promise with a gentle kiss.

It is enough to have just this, their beach cottage and their family surrounding them in houses nearby, always knowing that they are all accounted for and safe. This is happiness, but there is always room for more.

They will figure it out together, as they always do; Caleb is sure of that.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I really enjoyed writing this one, I hope you like it even half as much. Sorry if anything seems rushed or out of character, I was pretty tired yesterday while writing but I'm still really happy with how it turned out. 
> 
> Title is from "Ease My Mind" by Ben Platt. His whole album is just beautiful and I listened to it on repeat while I wrote this. This line stuck in particular stuck out and I figured it would work pretty well. 
> 
> Thank you again for reading! You can find me over on [tumblr](https://nevershootamockingbird.tumblr.com) and [twitter](https://twitter.com/daleytwin1) if you feel like yelling with me about these characters, this show, or, you know, anything else!


End file.
